I've only coded basic html and have a bunch of basic websites. Would to try to make a oscommerce site. They told me I need xampp first. I see the install instructions are easy. But I have no idea about the big picture. How does xampp run/what does it do on my mac? If I install photoshop on my mac it doesn't open my mac to the internet. By the warning I see in xampp, I guess it's an active program that accepts commands from outside my mac? I have no idea what xampp even does. I want to install oscommerce and make a simple shopping cart but don't know what could happen while I have xampp installed. If I shut down xampp can it be activated by incoming hackers?

It would be nice to see a DFD, the kind you'd show a manager, on what xampp does especially in relation to oscommerce.

As long as you don't forward external ports 80, 21, 443 and 3306 (HTTP,FTP, HTTPS, and MySQL), on your router or TimeCapsule to the local IP (on local network) of your Mac, those are not problems.

The XAMPP Security Concept is designed to prevent folks from accessing your webserver's critical components from outside your local network. You might need to edit the LocationMatch statement for a Mac network, as I don't recall if it includes the 10.xx.xx.xx Range that some Apple network components want to use.

If you only want to work on 'localhost', and you don't forward external ports to the machine you install it on, there are no significant security risks in running XAMPP.

As far as what XAMPP can do? once installed its a standard Apache Server, with PHP, Perl and MySQL - plus other goodies, like an FTP server.

all the demos work EXCEPT for:CD CollectionWarning: mysql_connect() [function.mysql-connect]: Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost' (using password: NO) in /Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/htdocs/xampp/cds.php on line 64Could not connect to database!Is MySQL running or did you change the password?

using FIREFOX this happens - then in phpMyAdmin i cannot create a database. cannot select option:Create new database:No Privileges

These XAMPP pages are no longer accessible by network for everyone SECURE MySQL is no longer accessible over the network SECURE The phpMyAdmin user pma has no longer no password SECURE The MySQL user root has no longer no password SECURE The FTP password for user nobody is no langer 'xampp' SECURE

---------------------EDIT------------------------------i just tried using Safari and got in to be able to Create new database

at the phpMyAdmin login screeni enter Username: rootPassword: which i set some where installing yesterday but i wrote it down

and i'm in and able to Create new databaseSafari gives same mysql error above when running the CD Collection Demo

but usingFirefox the same Username and Password don't allow - No Privileges